Beauty And The Beast is a familiar tale. A once wealthy merchant travels in hopes to reviving his business. But he only finds a dark seemingly empty castle with a beast like creature for a master. The merchant, in return for being allowed to live and return home, must send one of his daughter’s in his stead. His elder daughters are channeling Cinderella’s step sisters. His youngest daughter, has become the Cinderella of her household. She agrees to take her father’s place. Beauty may be the woman to end the Beast’s curse, but to do so, she must fall in love with him.

Cat Hellisen’s new book, Beastkeeper, is an interesting take on the familiar tale.

Sarah’s home life is far from functional. Every few months, Sarah’s parents force her to move to avoid the cold weather. What she does not know is that they are running from is magic.

Then Sarah’s mother walks out on her family and her father, who is changing in odd ways, dumps her at his parent’s door. Sarah has never met her grandparents or even knew that they were still alive. Living in the crumbling ruins of a castle that her grandparents call home, she begins to unravel a family secret. There is a curse on her blood line and Sarah is not immune. If Sarah cannot find a way to undo the curse that is her heritage, the first time she falls in love, she will become the creature that her father and grandfather have become.

This book was recommended to me as a source of inspiration for my own novel (which is also inspired by Beauty And the Beast). While the novel was entertaining, I found myself lost at certain points. I understood who Sarah was and the journey she went on, but it was not clear for me as a reader.